It sounds like a plot from a sci-fi war movie, but it has now become reality: the United States has officially confirmed for the first time that it has deployed space weapons in Earth's orbit. At the Aerospace Cyber Conference on Monday, U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink confirmed this news. He insisted that developing space weapons was intended to protect the U.S. military.
According to CNN, Meink stated: "Today, we continue to ensure we are ready to respond to evolving threats, wherever they may emerge. For this reason, the United States now possesses on-orbit space control weapons capable of protecting joint forces from hostile attacks. Maintaining our superiority in air and space is crucial, so we must take measures to ensure we can respond when threatened."
Meink refused to explain the weapon's functions or reveal when it was placed into orbit. We also do not know if this weapon has ever been used.
U.S. officials have previously hinted multiple times at possessing offensive and defensive space capabilities, but this is the first time someone has publicly confirmed it. There are various theories about what this weapon actually is. Some believe it could be a kinetic weapon capable of striking targets (such as satellites) and destroying them. Others think it is more likely a jammer or directed-energy weapon that would not create destructive space debris.
The Trump administration has frequently discussed space weapons becoming part of the "Golden Dome" defense system for U.S. air defense and established the Space Force in 2019, specifically tasked with building space capabilities. A spokesperson for the U.S. Space Force told the BBC: "Space control encompasses all tasks required to contest and control the space domain—employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities through disruption, degradation, or even destruction if necessary. These capabilities can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes as directed by combatant commands."
Some believe the next war could begin in space, with adversaries potentially destroying a satellite and thereby crippling communications on Earth. This, in turn, could significantly impact a nation's military operations. Theoretically, space weapons could also be used to disrupt long-range missiles entering orbit, causing them to deviate from their intended trajectory.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits the use of weapons of mass destruction in orbit but does not ban the use of conventional weapons in space or the use of ground-based weapons against space targets.
Last year, Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that U.S. dominance in space is "a measure of national foresight and willpower." Speaking at the conference, Meink stated that the U.S. space-based interceptor program went "from initial contract to flyable hardware in less than a year."